(A/N: The other day I thought to myself that there aren't a lot of stories out like this, so I decided to write one. This one is inspired by the song "Cat and Mouse" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Enjoy)
Summary: 8 years ago, we were enslaved. Today is the 8th anniversary of the Freedom Fighter's victory against Dr. Robotnik. Today is a happy day for everyone…except for the freedom fighters. And me. They call me Tails
I woke up at my normal time. 5:15am. Usually, I would be out of bed by 5:30 at the latest, I would eat breakfast that my wife prepared for me, and would be out the door by 6. I'm a mechanic, and I don't mean to brag, but I'm probably one of the best ones on the planet. My primary job is a part of the rebuilding team for Planet Mobius.
The freedom fighters had finally won the ware against Robotnik. He is now dead and rotting somewhere. However, I am devastated that none of the Freedom Fighters had the satisfaction of killing him. He took his own life among realizing that there was no way he could win this war. It was all over. Planet Mobius was free once again.
However, a very heavy price had to be paid. Today was January 28th, the anniversary of our victory against Robotnik. It was 5:45, and I remained to lay in bed. The rest of the planet should be celebrating by now. Today was a day for remembering our freedom. No doubt there will be countless parties all over the planet. Food, Alcohol, and Joy will cover this planet today. However, I will not partake in this celebration.
I never do.
Softly we tremble tonight,
Picture perfect fading smiles are all that's left in sight,
I said I'd never leave you'll never change
I'm not satisfied with where I'm at in life.
I got out of bed at 11:15, which is extremely abnormal for me any other day, except for January 28th. I walked into my kitchen where my wife stood waiting for me. She forced a smile on her face, even though she knew I would not return it. January 28th is not a happy day. January 28th is never a happy day.
"Good morning, hun," she greeted me continuing that forced smile.
I didn't reply verbally. I just gave her a nod and a very small as I took a seat at the table. There was a cup of coffee waiting for me at the table. I grinned at my wife's benevolence.
"What would you like for breakfast?" she asked as she forced a perky and happy tone. "I can make you chocolate chip pancakes."
My favorite. She knows this. However, she also knows that I will not eat them. Not that day.
"Vicki," I called her name. I have several pet names for my wife. I hardly ever call her by her real name. Her smiled disappeared immediately. "Do you know what day it is?"
I turned to her to wait for her answer. All she did was nod grimly.
"I won't be eating breakfast today," I informed her quietly as I turned to stare at my cup of coffee.
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted,
It comes with a price.
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted,
It comes with a price.
I refuse to take part in anything joyous on this day. I would stay away from my favorite foods. I would not attempt to fix or build anything. I would not listen to happy music. I would not work at all. I would not watch any television. I would not attend any gatherings, except for one.
Vicki would always try to cheer me up one way or another. For her, the day is a celebration day, just like the rest of the planet, which is why I tend to stay way from her on this day. I don't want to burden her with my grave tone. She deserves to celebrate the day.
When I finished my coffee, I got up form the table and got dressed. I picked up a single red rose, which was resting in water right next to the front door, and attempted to leave my house.
"Miles," she called my name. My real name. The name that no one ever calls me. I turned around to look at her sad face.
"Will you be okay?" she asked me, just like every year.
I gave her a smile.
"I'll tell him you said 'hi'," I told her just before I left my house.
You said,
You said that you would die for me...
I spent most of my dad wishing everyone I know, and even everyone I don't know, a "Good Victory". That's what people say around here on January 28th. I could see the looks on people's faces. Joy. An almost endless pit of happiness filled Knothole Village, as well as the many other towns I visited.
It was about 3:30 when I reached Acorn Palace in the center of Tempest, the capital city of Mobius. There was the princess of Mobius, who relinquished her title of Queen and gave it to her brother, Elias. She felt she could do more without the title of 'Queen' holding her back, and she is the leader of the Mobius Rebuilding Union.
On this day, she, myself, and former Freedom Fighters would meet at the Tempest Graveyard at sunset every year. However, I would always visit her an hour or two before. More over, I visit her children.
I knew all of the guards very well, so they let me through security without any complications. Most, if not all, of them wished me a "Good Victory" to me, even though they knew this day means something different to me, and the Freedom Fighters. They tried to uphold a smile, as did I. But we all knew what truly was going on in my mind.
I got to the Princess' chambers, and she had already been waiting for me. No doubt the guards warned her of my arrival.
"Tails," she greeted me with a smile. A mournful smile.
"Hi, Aunt Sally," I said to her as we embraced each other.
She wasn't really my aunt. Hell, she wasn't even related to me at all. But growing up, she treated me as if I were her own family. My parents were killed when I was very young, and she played the role of a parent, sibling, and family for me. She, and one other…
After our embraced, and gave me a kiss on my left cheek. Then on my right. Then on my nose. She's don't that to me ever since I was just a kid. We called it the 'funny kiss'.
"How are you?" I asked her.
"As well as could be expected," she said as she took a few steps away from me. "Considering the day."
"Happy to hear that," I said as I nodded my head to her.
"Uncle Tails!" I heard three young kids yell.
There were two 8 year old twin squirrels, a boy named Miles, and a girl named Nicole, and a 10 year old blue hedgehog named Maurice. I embraced all three of them at the same time, totally hiding my sadness of the day. I changed it to joy.
"Hey there kids!" I yelled in happiness after I let go of them. "Good Victory," I told them with a smile.
"Good Victory," I all shouted back to me. I could see Sally smiling in the corner of my eye.
"Uncle Tails!" they all yelled at me at the same time. They all tried to tell me something different, but I couldn't understand them.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I told them as I tried to calm down their seemingly endless hyperactivity. "One at a time! One at a time!"
"Uncle Tails!" Nicole yelled my name first. "I baked some brownies," she told me as she held up a crumpled brownie with her left hand. "Try one!"
I picked up the brownie as put it in my mouth. It was good, of course.
"Wow!" I told her with a smile. "It's so yummy! Did you make this all by yourself?"
"Well," she began. "Mommy helped for most of it."
"Well, they are great!" I told her.
"Uncle Tails!" called little Miles next. "Look!"
He held to me something I couldn't identify right away. When I took it into my hands, I discovered that it looked like a miniature the first version of the Tornado, a aircraft I built when I was just 12 years old. Of course, over the years, the Torndado was upgraded several times. 18 to be exact. This model that Miles made was made from household appliances. Silverware, candle holders, wire, etc.
"Wow!" I told him with my eyes wide. "Is this my Tornado?"
"Yeah!" he said in excitement.
"Wow," I told him again. "This is way past cool!"
I heard the three kids laugh, as well as Sally. The kids loved when I said that, as I did when he used to say it to me.
"Uncle Tails!" Maurice, the only hedgehog of the bunch called to me.
"Hey, little buddy," I greeted him as I took a knee to get closer. "You've been working on your speed?"
"I'm twice as fast as last time!" I shouted in excitement. "Watch!"
He attempted to take off, but his mother grabbed his shirt and stopped him.
"Not in the house, Mo," she told him, calling him by his nickname. "You can show Uncle Tails another time."
"Aw, Mom!" he yelled in disappointment. "Please! Jut for a few minutes!"
"Whoa there, little buddy!" I spoke before Sally had the chance to. "What did I say about arguing with you mom?" I asked him. He didn't reply. "Mo, what did I say?"
"If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here," he repeated to me the same thing I tell him every time he mouths off, and he does quite a lot.
"That's better," I told him. "Now you guys run along, I need to talk with your mother."
They said their goodbyes and went off to play. I got up from my knee and stared at Sally. She stared back with a forced smile. Forced smiles are very common on this day. We stood silent for a little while before she broke the silence.
"Would you like to sit down?" she asked me. I noticed her eyes began to tear up.
"No thanks," I told her with a smile. "I'll be going soon."
"To the graveyard?" she asked me.
I nodded.
"The rest of us won't be there for another 2 hours," she informed me.
"I know," I replied. Sunset wasn't for another two hours, but I still go very early.
"I don't know how you can do it," she told me as she took a seat at her dinner table. The sounds of children playing were in the background. "You stare at his grave every week for hours on end. I mean, you probably loved him more than I ever did. Hell, he probably loved you more than he loved me, but-"
"That's a bold statement, Aunt Sally," I interrupted her.
"-but how can you do it?" she asked me. Tears began to leak from her eyes. "How could you have a happy life, a wonderful wife, a perfect job, and-"
"It helps," I told her and I grabbed both of her hands. "When I stare at his grave, it makes me strong. Content. Hell…even happy!"
I saw her eyes widen in disbelief.
"He's the reason I am who I am," I continued to speak passionately. "He's the reason why I have a happy life. He's the reason why I have a wonderful wife. He's the reason I have a perfect job. And most importantly…" I paused so I can get down on one knee so that I was eye to teary eye with Sally. "He's the reason why any of us are free."
She immediately embraced me, but she didn't cry. I suspected that she was saving her tears for the meeting at the graveyard. I hugged her back, and we stayed that way for minutes. I don't know if I technically loved him more than Sally, or the vice versa. But I was definitely more affected by him.
We made plans to grow old,
Believe me there was truth
In all those stories that I told.
I don't how long I was staring at his grave, but from the looks of things, it must have been over and hour and a half. The sun was setting, and I heard people walking towards me from behind. 6 people. Bunnie Rabot. Antoine D'Coolete. Rotor Walrus. Knuckles Echidna. Sally Acorn. The same 5 that came every year, on January 28th, to pay respects to our fallen hero.
We never spoke in the graveyard. When we leave, we would always go back to the palace, which was when I always break my "fast" from happy things. We would go back to Sally's chambers, eat good food Bunnie prepared, drink fine wine that Antoine found, drink some other drinks that Knuckles prepare, all while listening to music that Rotor engineered.
That is when we celebrate the freedom of Mobius, and the life of the one who saved us all.
However, something different caught my ear. Another pair of footsteps. I turned my head to see who was the seventh mysterious visitor, and laid eyes on someone I hadn't seen since the fall of Robotnik, and someone I'd never thought I'd see again.
Shadow the Hedgehog.
Lost in a simple game,
Cat and mouse
Are we the same people as before this came to light?
We didn't speak, so I couldn't ask him why he came back, or more importantly, what he was doing here. To be perfectly honest, it didn't even matter to me at that point.
He and Shadowhad a very strange relationship. Although he always had an intense rivalry with Knuckles, it was mostly friendly, save for a very harmless arguments. But the biggest difference was that Knuckles was always there, and can always be trusted. Shadow was way too much of a free spirit to be trusted, and his sudden arrival was proof.
All I did was nod and give him a smirk. He did the same to me.
I turned back to the tombstone and read it for the 134th time that day.
Sonic Maurice Hedgehog
Our Loving Savior
He was known for being the fastest thing alive
And he well be remembered as the world's greatest hero
Way Passed Cool
Way Passed Missed
We could have put Sonic's real first name on the tombstone, but we knew he'd hate that.
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted,
It comes with a price.
"If you're strong, you can fly, you can reach the other side of the rainbow…"
Bunnie's wonderful singing voice echoed through our ears as well as our hearts. I mentioned earlier that we don't speak while we visit his grave, however, we always tend to sing a song a female fan of Sonic wrote for him years ago. I never met her, but her song stayed with the Freedom Fighters even after the death of our hero.
"It's your right, take a chance 'cause there's no circumstance that you can't handle"
A few more joined in. I remained silent as the Freedom Fighters and Shadow formed a line in front of the grave. I was the last one.
"When you use your mind," I added to the song.
"Mr. Bad's got it good But, this ain't his neighborhood he's taking over oh, no," Bunnie sang by herself. She had an amazing voice, and it always added to the mood.
We lined up in the order of Antoine, Rotor, Bunnie, Knuckles, Shadow, Sally, and myself. I couldn't see anyone's face since I was in back, but I could tell at least half of the crew was crying.
"Time is now, he can't hide Find the power deep inside and make it happen," a few replied to Bunnies' song. We each began to say our peace to Sonic as we continued to sing.
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted,
It comes with a price.
Antoine was first. In the beginning of the resistance, they never got along. And rightfully so. Sonic was an addict for adventure, and Antoine wasn't exactly the bravest soul on the team. However, as the years went on, Antoine became an extremely formidable swordsman, and soon became one who loved to fight. For the few remaining years of Sonic's life, he and Antoine became good friends. The fox shed a tear which dropped on Sonic's grave as he couldn't help but think how close they could have been today had he still be alive.
"Sonic Boom"
"Sonic Boom"
Rotor was known on the team for his exceptional work as a mechanic and a computer genius. Sonic could run. Sonic could fight. But without Rotor there giving him direction, the world would still be enslaved by Robotnik. Rotor grew up thinking that he was nothing more than a nerd, but he could always count on Sonic to make him feel like a solid part of the team. And for that, he is eternally grateful.
"Trouble keeps you running faster"
Bunnie was always Sonic's 'pal'. Being the best friend of his lover, Bunnie was always giving tips and secret to help him win over Sally's attention and love. Not only that, anytime Bunnie would feel horrible about her half-robotic appearance, Sonic was always there reminding her how beautiful of a person she was. Inside and out. They were co-workers and very good friends up until the fateful day of his death. Sonic will always be in Bunnie's heart, especially when she feels ugly due to her wrongful robotics.
"Sonic Boom"
"Sonic Boom"
What can be said about the infamous Sonic and Knuckles? They hated each other. They loved each other. They hated each other. And they loved each other. They met thinking they were enemies, but in the end, they were extremely loyal to each other. Knuckles is the guardian of the Master Emerald, making him a serious and solid fighter, so naturally, the personalities of Sonic and Knuckles colliding is a pretty powerful sight. But no matter how much they argued, fought, and screamed at each other, they probably trusted each other more than two rivals ever could. Knuckles claims he hasn't cried since he was 7 years old, but even he sheds a tear an Sonic's grave.
"Save the planet from disaster"
Shadow and Sonic also started out as bitter enemies, but unlike Knuckles, Shadow wasn't solid enough to ever win Sonic's trust. After the Space Colony Incident, Sonic and Shadow could be found working together on a few occasions. However, restoring Mobius to it's rightful form was never Shadow's concern. All he cared about was finding out who he was in this world, and what he could do to make his life worth while. It was ironic how in the final battle against Robotnik, Shadow played a big part in his defeat.
"Sonic Boom"
"Sonic Boom"
They have been in love forever, and the best part was, everyone else new before they did. Sally was in command of the Freedom Fighters, and Sonic had a problem with authority. You do the math. They admitted their love for each other at the tender age of 18, but that didn't mean they still had problems. Sonic's ability to harness the power of the Chaos Emerald and transform himself into a golden god-like being, that I dubbed 'Super Sonic', was more than just raw power. He had trouble controlling it, causing him to be very vengeful when he was in that form. So much so, he struck Sally for trying to calm him down.
However, when he come to, he didn't remember ever even being 'Super Sonic', much less hitting Sally. She never told him what he did. No one did. He died not knowing that he actually struck his then-girlfriend.
Two years before the final battle, Sally was pregnant with Sonic's child. Marriage was inevitable. They had a baby boy hedgehog, and a year and a half later, they had twin squirrels. Before Sonic ran off to fight the final battle, he told Sally that no matter what happened, he will make sure that his wife and children will have a bright and noble future in the real Planet Mobius. He swore his life on it, and his life was the price he had to pay.
"Spinning through a world in motion"
It was my turn. I stood in front of his grave again, remembering the day of his death, as I do so often.
I was 22 years old and he was 28. Us, as well as Knuckles infiltrated Robotnik's Palace with a bang. We had to fight off hundreds, even thousands of Swat Bots. Knuckles did most of the fighting, Sonic and I just wanted, so badly, to confront that bastard for the final time. However, by the time Sonic and I got his chambers, all we found was his body, with a bullet in his bleeding head.
The thick steel doors closed locking us in, and the self destruct program activated. In Robotnik's sick and twisted mind, he would consider himself the Victor if Sonic and me would be caught in the explosion, even though he took his own life.
The building began to fall apart, and we were trapped. Sonic tried to saw through the door while I tried to mess around with the wiring, but it was no good. The doors were too thick for Sonic to cut through, and the wiring was shut down all together. Debris was exploding all over us, and we couldn't escape. There was no hope of surviving.
All of a sudden, and blinding light blinking out of nowhere. When the light dimmed, a single figure stood with the red Chaos Emerald in hand. Shadow.
"What are you doing?" Sonic asked him angrily.
I stood silent.
"Do you want to die, or not?" he asked as he dashed towards us. He held on to Sonic and myself as he held up the Chaos Emerald.
"Chaos Contr-" Shadow was cut of by a spark of explosion right next to his head. We teleported, but only just outside the doors. We were still in the palace, and the palace was still collapsing and exploding. Shadow probably attempted to get us out of the palace entirely.
"What happened?" I asked Shadow.
"That explosion distracted me," he stated grimly.
"Can you do it again?" Sonic asked him in a quick tone, as usual.
"Not right now," he told us. "I'll need time to rejuvenate."
"We don't have time!" I yelled as huge chunks of metal fell from the ceiling.
"Then I'll do it," Sonic said as he grabbed the emerald from Shadow's hands.
"You want to take that risk?" Shadow asked him.
"I've done it before," Sonic half-shouted at Shadow.
"Sheer dumb luck," Shadow retorted the truth. "You're lucky that you didn't end up into some parallel dimension. Do you want to take that chance?"
Sonic paused for a second, and then took a look at me. I'm not going to lie to you, I was scared shitless, and Sonic apparently saw that. He looked at the red emerald, and looked back at me. There was no doubt in my mind that Sonic didn't attempt Chaos Control for the sake of me. He wasn't going to let me die because of him.
"We don't have time," Sonic said as he tossed the emerald back to Shadow. "Let's book it."
He ran through the palace for seemingly hours trying not to get with debris along the way. The palace was huge and there was no telling how much longer we had to run. Shadow and Sonic were almost equally fast. I was not.
I trailed behind in the air for quite some time, until a huge chunk of metal fell from the ceiling and landed on my right tail, easily breaking it. Sonic immediately stopped and jetted back to me. Shadow stopped as well, but he didn't run to me.
"Soni..." I couldn't finish. I wanted to tell him to tell him to leave, but I was in too much pain.
"Hold on, little bro," he told me as he tried to lift up the chunk of metal. It budged, but Sonic simply wasn't strong enough. There was no time. The house was coming down.
"Shadow!" he called. "Help me!"
"Casualties are sometimes necessary!" He yelled to Sonic.
"NO!" Sonic screamed back at him. "Not now! NOT HIM! He WILL make this out alive!"
I stared at Sonic, almost completely ignoring the pain I was in. I wanted to tell him to go on without me, but knowing Sonic, he would have kicked my ass as soon as he left. But I couldn't help but feel guilty. He would have been out safely if he had just left me.
Shadow was apparently moved by Sonic's determination, so he ran over and helped. They lifted the chunk of metal successfully, and I crawled out as fast as I could, which wasn't fast at all. My right tail was broken.
"You alright, bro?" he asked me quickly. Shadow already took the lead towards the exits. "Can you fly?"
I tried, but my tail was in too much pain.
"No…"
Suddenly, another chunk of debris fell from the ceiling. Without think, Sonic shoved me out of the way, which resulted in crushed his abdomen and everything below.
"No!" I shouted as I kneeled to Sonic.
"Go," He told me.
"No, you got me out," I shouted to him. "I'm not leaving you here."
"Tails, my legs are gone," he shot at me quickly, but he shivered violently. "There gone…there gone."
As you can imagine, Sonic's legs define him. No legs. No running.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Shadow, but he didn't say anything.
"Go," Sonic told me. "Live. You are NOT dying here! Especially not for my sorry ass!"
I remember feeling tears in my eyes as he told me that.
"Go, go, go, go, go," he chanted.
Shadow dragged me away from Sonic, and we successfully escaped. It was over. The entire war ended just like that.
20 hours later, Sonic's body was found in a pile of metallic rubble.
"Sonic Boom"
"Sonic Boom"
"Take it all the way"
I dropped to my knees and I began to bawl, just like every year. I felt and hand on each of my shoulders, and I could tell they belonged to Knuckles and Bunnie. I also heard Sally cry behind me.
You said,
You said that you would die for me…
And just like every year, I couldn't help but think…
Why can't he be here right now with me celebrating our freedom?
You must live for me to
Why are you dead, Sonic? Why didn't you just let us help you? Why couldn't you see our planet, your planet, alive and well again? Why couldn't I celebrate this victory with my brother? Why couldn't you just swallow your God-damned pride and just let us help you.
Are you as stupid as people say? Are you so fucking ignorant that you couldn't see everyone happy again?
I cried so hard, and Knuckles and Bunnie were right there to console me.
For me too…
I stood up, still crying my eyes out, and took a few steps back so everyone could take one last look before we left. We also had to finish the song. We also had to sing the famous line in that song.
"To the dark"
"To the light"
"It's a super sonic flight"
"Gotta keep it goin"
We turned our backs and began to walk out of the graveyard. I continued to cry, but I began to calm myself. It was time to stop grieving over his death. It was time to celebrate his life, and the freedom he gifted this whole planet. It will take a while, but soon we will be in the palace, laughing, eating, drinking, and speaking of Sonic being the true hero he was. And of course…a few 'Buttnik jokes.
You said,
You said you would die for me…
And he did. For me. For his friends. For his family. And for the world.
(A/N: You think I should right a sequel? Please tell me what you think!!! Thank you)